One had to admit, Necrozma's ultimate technique had now been thoroughly "carried forward."
Originally, for various reasons, she had possessed Lana's body, which eventually awakened the femininity hidden deep in her heart.
Later, she applied the same trick to Sabrina, achieving a similar effect.
And now, Mew No. 2 had become her rightful "successor," having mastered the essence of this very move.
Even though Mew No. 2 had no idea what her predecessor had used this trick for, the outcome…
The results turned out to be remarkably similar.
Caitlin's second Pokémon was the classic Gothitelle—known affectionately by many as "Auntie." Pure Psychic-type, just like Mew No. 2.
But this one was different: it had the Shadow Tag ability, could sing Perish Song, and boasted solid durability.
Because of that, its usage rate in battles was surprisingly high.
Of course, that was usually in double battles…
And besides, real battles weren't quite the same as in the games. For instance—Pokémon in the games felt no pain, while in reality, they could clearly feel everything happening to them.
Including pain, but also… a certain peculiar kind of pleasure.
Now, what Mew No. 2 needed to do was to exploit that fact to the fullest. She was going to make Caitlin pay dearly for the humiliation she'd suffered!
So then—for Haru's sake—strike Auntie with Psystrike.
"Mm~!"
The very moment her Psystrike hit Gothitelle, the move triggered an extra "special effect"—it really did strike the psyche.
Not only that—it hit the trainer as well, with devastating effectiveness.
It was supposed to be nothing more than a simple Psychic-type attack. But Gothitelle's trainer Caitlin suddenly reacted in an extraordinary way. Her mind went blank for a moment, just like Lusamine the first time she experienced ropes and bondage.
Immediately after, she curled her body up tight, feeling as though something wild was rampaging inside her.
And yet—it wasn't pain it brought her. Quite the opposite. It was… something else. Something that made her clamp her legs together without thinking.
That alone brought back memories of how Cynthia had reacted when receiving Haru's "treatment." Caitlin couldn't help but suspect that what she was feeling now was nearly identical to Cynthia's earlier experience.
But this was a proper battle. She couldn't exactly lodge a protest against Haru.
After all, Haru didn't look like he was doing anything at all—he hadn't even really given Mewtwo any commands.
Looking back to Gothitelle, she too was reacting in much the same way as her trainer.
Only, unlike Caitlin, she clearly had no idea what exactly was happening to her—just that she seemed to have been hit with some strange "debuff" that left her powerless.
And yet… this debuff felt surprisingly good. Addictive, even.
Certainly better than being paralyzed or burned.
So Gothitelle thought to herself unsteadily in the middle of the field.
Seeing that it was effective, Mewtwo grew more excited.
Ha! Weren't you just strutting around earlier? Even dared to harm my noble body.
Now I'll play you until you break! Psystrike, kid!
Worked up, she unleashed several more "special edition" Psystrikes in a row.
The scene that followed was utterly absurd.
Faced with the "attack" of this first-rank legendary, neither Caitlin nor Gothitelle showed any intention of dodging.
Caitlin did mutter a token, "Dodge, quick—"
But by the time she spoke, Mewtwo's strike was already right in their faces, far too late to react.
And Gothitelle didn't even care about her trainer's half-hearted command—she practically threw herself into the path of the attack.
Each time the "attack" hit, both trainer and Pokémon would be "overwhelmed." And then, almost immediately, they would hunger for the next strike.
After a while, Caitlin had gone from standing to collapsed on the floor, her expression twisted and flushed, sweat beading her face like someone worn out from long "work."
Haru couldn't help but think that if he walked up right now and tried to stuff her like a cream puff, she wouldn't be able to mount much resistance—maybe even go along half-heartedly.
Glancing at the bewildered little Ralts beside him, Haru sighed and said to Caitlin:
"Why don't we just end the battle here?"
To be fair, this time Haru really was thinking of her well-being.
He could hardly imagine how this young lady would react after suffering such an "undignified" match today.
Probably like Cynthia, bolting immediately in shame.
More importantly, Ralts—purehearted like Mewtwo—seemed to be forming some very strange misconceptions about what battles were supposed to be.
This wasn't good. Haru really preferred his Pokémon to stay proper.
Well… at least most of the ones around him were still proper. Probably.
"No! Absolutely not! I have to win!"
Even though she clearly wasn't in the right state, Caitlin stubbornly refused to give in when faced with Haru's suggestion. Like someone too proud to ever admit defeat.
Of course… if she just loosened her tightly clamped legs a little, she might've been more convincing.
Gothitelle's resistance to this sort of "abnormal condition" clearly wasn't very high. After fewer than five of Mewtwo's weakened Psystrikes, she collapsed from "fainting," losing her ability to fight.
Her trainer wasn't doing much better. The young lady still lay collapsed on the floor, panting heavily, her face crimson.
At this point, she was in no state to use Psychic attacks on enemy trainers.
For her third Pokémon, the future Psychic Elite Four member sent out the one Haru had always wanted: a Gardevoir.
Perhaps determined to rally and launch a counteroffensive, Caitlin even had her Gardevoir Mega Evolve.
Mega Gardevoir wasn't weak. Its stats and ability were both excellent, at least far more comfortable than certain other Pokémon cursed with a –10 Speed.
Even better, its beauty was elevated.
If regular Gardevoir was like a lovely maiden, Mega Gardevoir became an elegant noblewoman.
Its ability, Pixilate, needed no explanation—Normal-type moves turned into Fairy-type and gained extra power.
Only two Pokémon had it: Mega Gardevoir and Sylveon. And in terms of damage output, the latter couldn't hold a candle to the former.
Suffice to say, all skin-changing abilities were excellent—though not quite as good as weather abilities.
And yet, the "noble lady's" actual performance on the field…
Could only be described with references to certain notorious Black X Beasts or Ghost X works.
Yes, her offensive output in a proper match would've been stronger.
But in this… particular "capacity," she fared even worse than Gothitelle. After just a few hits, she simply went limp, lying there to receive Mewtwo's "baptism."
Her trainer wasn't faring much better—her outer garments had somehow all disappeared, and her stockings looked as if they'd shifted out of place.
All of this was plainly visible to Ralts, leaving who-knows-what kind of scarring impression on the child.
In the end, afraid something terrible might happen, Haru forcibly ended the match.
But the effects of what had happened clearly wouldn't dissipate so easily.
At least, that was Haru's thought as he walked away under Caitlin's gaze—so sticky it felt like you could pull strings out of it.
---
Night fell, and the city's bustle faded.
Endless darkness draped over the room, without a sliver of light.
The absence of a clock's ticking made the silence oppressive; books on the shelf seemed to sway faintly in the gloom.
Roses in the vase on the nightstand gave off a delicate fragrance, but under the night's shadow, it felt strangely eerie.
Something seemed to stir restlessly beneath the covers, hidden secrets writhing in the dark. Outside, the night wind howled, rattling the window, as if it might burst open at any moment. The air in the room was suffocating.
Cynthia, who should have been asleep, twitched her eyelids before snapping them open.
Like she'd been startled by something, she sat bolt upright in bed, scanning the darkness around her.
But there was nothing. Pitch black. Which let her exhale in relief.
She sat quietly for a few minutes, then lay back down, trying to return to sleep.
But this time she couldn't. Every time she shut her eyes, the dream came back—images of what had happened today.
Scenes of Haru spreading the story of her "accident" online and how other trainers reacted.
Scenes of him confronting her over it, using it as leverage to threaten her.
Even absurd fantasies where she herself sought him out again to "repeat the treatment," just to… relive it.
Her dreams and daydreams tangled endlessly, until Cynthia started doubting her own sanity.
Otherwise, why would she be so captivated by things that could never be spoken aloud?
There was no denying it: today's events had shaken her deeply.
But what could she do?
As her mind spun through possible solutions, and how things might go when she confronted Haru again, she felt her consciousness slipping away…
When she regained awareness of her body, she realized, for some reason, that she was softly humming.
Wait—humming?
Something flashed through her mind, and she shot upright in bed again.
Throwing off the covers, she found undeniable traces on her sheets and clothes—just like what had happened in Caitlin's battle earlier.
Crap… this was bad.
Really, truly bad.
The Sinnoh Champion buried her head in her arms like an ostrich, unable to even speak.
Only the lingering afterglow of that forbidden pleasure kept washing over her brain.
And she could already imagine: if this kept up, it would repeat again and again.
She couldn't wait any longer. Tomorrow—
No. Tonight. She had to find Haru tonight and clear this up. Otherwise, she'd either collapse or dehydrate.
With that thought, she glanced at the clock—already past midnight.
Whether Haru was still awake or not was one thing. But a young woman visiting a man's home at this hour… hardly proper.
Should she go?
Cynthia sat on her bed, wrestling with the decision.
Finally, under the insistent wet reminder, she got up.
Better to go. Plenty of modern people stayed awake past midnight—maybe Haru was no exception.
And she didn't have to knock immediately. She could just "scout the situation" first, confirm he was awake, and then approach.
If he was asleep, she'd endure until morning. If he was awake, she'd decide then.
With this plan, Cynthia began her secret mission.
She felt like the cascading chain of strange consequences was driving her insane—none of this was by choice.
Though Caitlin's "treatment" wasn't yet over, Haru had been worried about Liko and the others, so he and Cynthia had already left Unova and returned to Kanto.
And Cynthia, for convenience, had arranged her temporary lodging close to Haru's. A short ride on Garchomp brought her to his place within minutes.
But tonight she was cautious to the extreme.
To ensure no one spotted her, she took her time before finally reaching his residence.
As planned, she didn't knock right away. Instead, standing on Garchomp's back, she crept up toward the window of Haru's room.
She knew which one it was from her previous visit, and that it even had a little balcony.
If necessary, she could break in from there.
She had worried that Haru might draw the curtains—but thankfully, he hadn't.
After recalling Garchomp into its Poké Ball, Cynthia carefully peeked from behind the balcony, half her head exposed as she tried to glimpse inside.
Her heart pounded furiously—it felt like she was a thief.
Even during her Champion battles, she hadn't been this nervous.
She could see clearly that Haru's lights were still on. He was awake.
Just as she'd thought—modern youths often stayed up past midnight.
But this wasn't good news for her.
Because… damn it, Haru was awake because he was battling! And his opponent was none other than Liko, whom Cynthia had met before.
That seemingly prim and proper trainer was playing "the flying game"—Haru tossing her high, then catching her again—both of them laughing joyously.
Worse still, Liko seemed to notice Cynthia. While being tossed, she winked, then even waved at her.
That strange gesture caught Haru's attention, and he glanced toward Cynthia's hiding spot.
Luckily, she reacted fast, pulling her head back just in time. And Liko, it seemed, chose not to expose her—when Haru asked, she only smiled in return.
The little interruption didn't break their rhythm. The two quickly dove back into their playful match.
In fact, Liko seemed fired up, throwing herself into it even more.
Hidden behind the wall, Cynthia panted softly, her earlier calm utterly shattered, her emotions once more in turmoil.
What now? Should she just go back?
But if she did, she'd never be able to sleep.
Yet barging into Haru's room was impossible—she'd look like a complete creep.
The Champion was utterly lost.
***************************
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